Bear Grips Pro ShopsNo-Gi BJJ Tournament Walkout Shirts
- Walkout shirts are event-specific apparel your team wears to the venue.
- Often feature event name, date, location, and academy name on the back.
- No minimum. Single-event runs can be 5 shirts or 50 shirts.
- US printed, free shipping, available about a week before event day.
No-gi BJJ tournament walkout shirts are the team apparel your competitors wear into the venue, around the bullpen, and on the way back to the hotel. They are not training shirts, they are event apparel. Each major event your academy attends becomes an opportunity to stock a small walkout run that builds team identity and creates a piece students keep as a tournament memento.
What a Walkout Shirt Does for Your Academy Team
Walkout shirts serve three functions:
- Team identity at the venue. A group of competitors wearing matching walkout shirts in the warm-up area reads as one team. The visual signal matters for team support, for cornering, and for the way other academies perceive your program.
- Tournament memento for the competitor. Each event-specific shirt becomes a piece students keep. A serious competitor who attends ten events over five years has a stack of walkout shirts that maps their career.
- Recruiting and brand exposure. A walkout shirt with your academy name on the back, worn around the venue, is seen by every other academy in attendance. It is the cheapest form of academy advertising at any major event.
Walkout Shirt Design Conventions
Most walkout shirts follow a recognizable structure:
- Front: academy logo or simplified academy mark on left chest or full front center.
- Back: event name and date (e.g. "Submission Only Open, March 2026"), event location, academy name across the upper back, and often a list of competing team members across the lower back.
- Sleeves: optional academy mark or year on the sleeve hit.
The back design is what people see across the venue. Make the academy name large enough to read at twenty feet. The event name and date below it gives the shirt a sense of place that adds to the keepsake value.
For the front, keep it simple. A single-color academy logo on the left chest works for most teams. Save the detail for the back.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Garment Choice for No-Gi Walkout Shirts
The garment shortlist for walkout shirts:
- Bear Grips Airlume Cotton Athletic Tee. The default. Soft cotton, holds a print cleanly, comfortable to wear all day at the venue. VIP base: $19.88.
- Sport-Tek Moisture-Wicking Tee. For events in hot venues or events where competitors will be warming up actively before walking out. VIP base: $23.86.
- Bella+Canvas Long Sleeve Cotton Shirt. For cooler-venue events or events in winter months. VIP base: $29.88.
- Bear Grips Comfort Soft Hoodie. For premium event runs where the team wants a hoodie keepsake. VIP base: $36.88.
Most teams stick with the cotton tee for walkout. The hoodie is the upgrade option for marquee events that warrant a higher-priced keepsake.
Walkout Shirt Lead Time and Order Planning
Walkout shirt orders ship in about a week. For event day, target a shirt order placed 14 to 21 days before the event. This gives buffer for any reprint situation and ensures every competitor has their shirt in hand before travel.
For the academy that attends multiple events per year, run a small launch each time. A team of 8 to 15 competitors attending six events per year is 50 to 90 walkout shirt sales per year, often at $30 retail each. That is $1,500 to $2,700 in additional shop revenue from walkout shirts alone, on top of the standing academy gear.
The order can be placed by the head coach as a bulk order on behalf of the team, or each competitor can buy their own shirt direct from the academy shop. Many academies run a hybrid: the coach orders the team's competitor shirts in bulk for free distribution and lists the same design as a public product for friends, family, and other students who want to buy one as a supporter piece.
Launch a Walkout Shirt for Your Next Event
Event name on the back, academy logo on the front, competitor list on the lower back. Single-event run, no minimum, ships in about a week.
Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
How many walkout shirts can I order at once?
Any quantity from 1 to several hundred. There is no minimum and no maximum. A team of 8 competitors orders 8 shirts. A team of 50 competitors orders 50 shirts. Both ship in about a week.
Can I include a list of competing team members on the back?
Yes. Lists of names print cleanly on the back of the shirt. For events where the competitor list firms up close to event date, plan the order placement to leave room for the final list.
Do you make sublimated walkout shirts?
No. The walkout shirt program runs on screen-printed and DTF tees and hoodies. For full-sublimation walkout kits or jerseys, work with a sublimation kit supplier alongside your Bear Grips Pro Shops academy store.
Can supporters and friends buy the same walkout shirt?
Yes. Most academies list the walkout design as a public product in their shop so friends, family, and supporters can buy one to wear at the venue or as a keepsake. This adds 20 to 40% to walkout-related revenue.
